H-3690.1          _______________________________________________

 

                                  HOUSE BILL 2369

                  _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Spanel, R. King, Wilson, Basich, H. Sommers, Hochstatter, Morris, Fuhrman, Kremen, Orr, Haugen, Riley, Padden, R. Meyers, G. Cole, Sheldon, Bowman, Rasmussen and R. Johnson

 

Read first time 01/15/92.  Referred to Committee on Fisheries & Wildlife.Requiring salmon food fish to be labeled by its source and common name.


     AN ACT Relating to salmon labeling for human consumption; adding new sections to chapter 69.04 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 69.04 RCW to read as follows:

     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout sections 2 through 4 of this act.

     (1) "Salmon" means all species of the genus Oncorhynchus, except those classified as game fish in Title 77 RCW, and includes:

SCIENTIFIC NAME                            COMMON NAME

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha             Chinook salmon

Oncorhynchus kisutch                 Coho salmon

Oncorhynchus keta                    Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus gorbuscha               Pink salmon

Oncorhynchus nerka                   Sockeye salmon

Salmo salar (in other than           Atlantic salmon

  its landlocked form)

     (2) "Commercially caught" means salmon harvested by commercial fishers.

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 69.04 RCW to read as follows:

     No person may label, advertise, or offer for wholesale or retail sale any fresh or frozen salmon food fish or cultured aquatic salmon without identifying the species of salmon by its common name.  A person violating this section is guilty of misbranding under this chapter.

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 69.04 RCW to read as follows:

     No person may label, advertise, or offer for wholesale or retail sale any fresh or frozen:

     (1) Private sector cultured aquatic salmon without identifying the product as farm raised salmon; or

     (2) Commercially caught salmon designated as food fish under Title 75 RCW without identifying the product as commercially caught salmon; or

     (3) Private sector cultured aquatic salmon or commercially caught salmon without identifying the product as "domestic" or "imported," and, if caught or grown in Washington, as "Washington-caught" or "Washington-grown."

     A person violating this section is guilty of misbranding under this chapter.

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 69.04 RCW to read as follows:

     To promote honesty and fair dealing for consumers, the director, in consultation with the director of the department of fisheries, shall adopt rules:

     (1) Fixing and establishing a reasonable definition and standard of identity for salmon for purposes of offering for sale, labeling and advertising salmon; and

     (2) Enforcing sections 2 and 3 of this act.